Lubricating and softening of textile materials



Patented Feb'. 18,1941

LUBRIOATING AND SOFTENING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS Ernest Segessemann,

National Oil Produ Newar N- 1-, assignor to cts Company, Harrison,

N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey No Drawing.

19 Claims.

The invention relates in general to the treatment of fibrous materials and in particular to a process of lubricating and softening textile mate rials and to correlated improvements in compositions for use in such process. I

In the manufacture of fibrous materials, oils or oil-containing compositions are employed to facilitate certain operations and to impart certain' desired characteristics to the final products.

0 Such compositions are used, for. example, in the the preparation of the textile industry for the treatment of fibrous materials, such as wool, cotton, natural or artificial silk, glass and other fibers whether of vegetable,tanimal, mineral or synthetic origin. In

above fibers, and throughout various stages of producing yarns, threads, staple fiber and finished goods therefrom, there is a constant demand for improved and efiicient lubricatio which will, in turn, have no deleterious effects upon the processing machinery employed or upon the materials themselves. Moreover, the lubricant should also impart the desired softening qualities to the materials and assist inretarding or eliminating the development of electrostatic forces during fabrication thereof. These facts are particularly true with respect to the conventional textile operations, such as spinning, drawing, winding, curling, kinking, warping, throwing, weaving, knitting, felting, etc.

While variousoils and oil-containing compositions have been employed heretofore with a view to accomplishing the desired results aforementioned, the achievement of such results has not been obtained. In view thereof, there is a persistent demand for improved textile treating processes and for improved compositions for use therein.

The general object of the invention is to obviate the disadvantages existent in the prior art.

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide improved processes and compositions for accomplishing the desired results aforementioned.

A specific object of the invention is to provide improved processes and compositions for lubrieating and. softening synthetic cellulosic filamentary bodies.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved soluble mineral oil composition especially adapted for use in the treatment of synthetic cellulosic fibers, filaments, yarns, etc.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved coning oil .for use in lubricating cellulose hydrate and cellulose acetate yarns.

A plication August 2a, 1938, Serial No. 226,246

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

According to the invention there are provided processes of lubricating and softening textile materials with the composition of the invention which comprises a miner-a1 oil and/or raw animal or vegetable oils, an auxiliary emulsifiefsuch as the mahogany soaps and a sulfonated ester obtainable by the reaction of a mono or polycarboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of the acids of the saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic, cyclic, heterocyclic and benzenoid series with an aliphatic alcohol having one or more tertiary carbon atoms. The.oi1 composition, which is readily dispersible in water may be applied to the yarn or fiber as such or in the form of an aqueous emulsion.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and a composition of matter possessing the characteristics, properties and relation of components, all of which will be exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims. J

In the preparation of the water-dispersible composition of the invention, any suitable lub'ricant, such as mineral, vegetable, animal or marine oil or a combination of these oils may be used. It is preferred in most cases to use a light mineral oil either alone or in admixture with a lesser quantity of an animal, vegetable or marine oil. Any suitable substance may be used as the auxiliary emulsifier such as the mahogany soaps, water-soluble soaps of the higher fatty acids, 'sulfonated fatty alcohols, etc. Inasmuch as mineral oil forms a large proportion of thecomposition, it is highly preferred to employ the mahogany soaps as the auxiliary emulsifier. Substances which further aid blending and emulsifying of the constituents of the composition may also be used such as glycerine, mono and diglycerides of the higher fatty acids, oleic acid, etc.

The ester included in the composition and which. provides emulsifying, lubricating and softening properties thereto may be prepared according to known methods by the esterification of any suitable mono or polycarboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic, cyclic, heterocyclic and benzenoid series with an aliphatic alcohol having a tertiary carbon atom. The expression tertiary carbon atom is used herein to connote a carbon atom directly linked to three other carbon atoms. Examples of the foregoing acids include, inter alia, stearic, palmitic, lauric, myristic, oleic, erucic, brassidic, sebalcic, suberic, heptadecane dicarboxylic, salicylic, benzoic,

5 naphthalene beta carboxylic, cyclohexanoic,

cyclopentanoic, cyclo-octanoic, furoic, thiophenealpha-carboxylic, etc. Among the alcohols which may be used to esterify the acids of the aforementioned type include, among others, Isobutyl 1 alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, fusel oils, etc. The ester is subjected to sulfonation whereby the hydrogen on the tertiary carbon atom is substituted with a sulfonic group. Where the acid used in the ester formation is unsaturated, sulfation is caused to take place whereby the ester will contain both sulfonic and sulfate groups which is highly desirable. The esters herein referred to are disclosed in my U. S. Patent No. 2,093,576, dated September 21, 1937. For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following examples which are given merely to further illustrate the invention and are not to be construed in a limiting sense, all parts given being by weight:

Example I A composition having the following formula has been found to be admirably suited for the lubrication of non-fibrous hydrophillic cellulosic yarns:

Parts Isobutyl ester of oleic acid containing both sulfonic and sulfate groups 21 White mineral oil 70 Mahogany soapsm 3 Glycerine 1 Raw vegetable oil 5 40 This composition may be applied as a coning oil or it may be emulsified in an aqueous medium and applied in the emulsified form.

Example II Another composition may have the following formula:

Parts Sulfated and sulfonated ester of isoamyl alcohol with oleic acid 41 Mineral seal oil Mahogany soaps 3 Glycerine 1 Raw animal oil 5 This composition may be applied in the manner described under Example I.

Example III 50 A further composition of the invention may have the following formula:

Parts Sulfated and sulfonated ester of isobutyl alcohol with ricinoleic acid 2O Mineral oil 66.5

Mahogany soaps 6 Glycerine 3 Oleic acid i 4.5

70 This composition may be formed into a 1% or 6% based on the weight of may also be applied as-a coning oil at a Example IV The following composition is particularly adapted for use in the lubrication of cellulose ester yarns, especially the acetate type.

This composition may be applied as a coning oil or in the emulsified form. It is particularly advantageous in that it greatly reduces the usual amount of static'developed in the processing of acetate yarns.

The composition of the invention is readily emulsified in water, and it may be removed from the yarns after the fabricating operation by a mere washing or mild scouring operation using a small quantity of soap in warm water. When a sulfonated ester is referred to in the claims, it is contemplated to include esters containing sulfonic and/or sulfate groups.

Since certain chainges in carrying out the above process and certain'modifications in the composition which embody the invention may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween; and that they are intended to be inclusive in scope and not exclusive, in that if desired, other materials may be added to my novel composition of matter herein claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. Particularly, it is to be understood that in said claims, ingredients or components recited in the singular are intended to include compatible mixtures of said ingredients wherever the sense permits.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by letters Patent is:

1. In the treatmentof fibrous materials the step which comprises applying thereto a composition comprising an oil and a sulfonated ester obtainable by the reaction of a carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of acids of the saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic, cyclic, heterocyclic and benzenoid series with'an aliphatic alcohol having at least one tertiary carbon atom.

2. In the treatment of textile materials the step which comprises applying to a textile yarn a composition comprising an oil, an auxiliary emulsifier and a sulfonated ester obtainable by the reaction of a carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of acids of the saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic, cyclic, heterocyclic and benzenoid series with an aliphatic alcohol having at least one tertiary carbon atom.

3. In the treatment of textile materials the step which comprises applying to a textile yarn an aqueous emulsion of a composition comprising an oil, an auxiliary emulsifier and a sulfonated ester obtainable by the reaction of a carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of acids of the saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic, cyclic, heterocyclic and benzenoid series the reaction of a carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of acids of the saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic, cyclic, heterocyclic and benzenoid series with an aliphatic alcohol having at least one tertiary carbon atom.

5. In the treatment of textile materials the step which comprises applying to a textile yarn an aqueous emulsion of a composition comprising a mineral oil, mahogany soaps, and 'a'sulfonated ester obtainable by the reaction of a carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of acids of the saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic, cyclic. heterocyclic and benzenoid series with an aliphatic alcohol having at leastone' tertiary carbon atom.

6. In the treatment of textile materials .the step which comprises applying to a textile yarn a composition comprising a mineral oil, mahogany soaps and a sulfonated isobutyl ester of a higher fatty acid.

'7. In the treatment of step which comprises applying to a textile yarn a composition comprising a mineral oil, mahogany soaps and a sulfonated isoamyl ester of a higher fatty acid.

8. In the treatment of. textile materials the' step which comprises applying to a textile yarn a composition comprising a mineral oil, ma-

hogany soaps and a sulfonated isobutyl oleate. 9. In the treatment of textile materials the step which comprises applying to. atextile yarn a composition comprising a mineral oil, mahogany soaps and a sulfonated isoamyl oleate.

10. In the treatment of textile materials the step which comprises applying to a textile yarn a composition comprising a mineral oil, ma-

hogany soaps and a sulfonated isobutyl ricinoleate.

11. A process of softening and lubricating nonflbrous cellulosic yarns which comprises applying thereto a composition comprising a mineral oil and a sulfonated ester obtainable by the reaction of a carboxylic acid selected from the textile materials the textile materials the v mahogany soaps and a sulfonated ester of a higher fatty acid with an alcohol having at least one tertiary carbon atom.

' 13. A process of softening and lubricating cellulose hydrate yarns which comprises applying thereto a composition comprising a mineral oil, mahogany soaps and sulfonated isobutyl 14. A process of softening and lubricating cellulose hydrate yams which comprises applying thereto a composition comprising a mineral oil, mahogany soaps and sulfonated isoamyl oleate.

15. A process of softening and lubricating cellulose acetate yarns which comprises applying thereto a composition comprising a mineral oil and a sulfonated ester of sperm oil fatty acids with an alcohol having at least one tertiary carbon atom.

16. A composition for softening and lubricating textile yarns comprising an oil and a sal fonated. ester obtainable by the reaction of a carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of acids of the saturated aliphatic, unsatu rated aliphatic, cyclic, heterocyclic and benzenoid series with an aliphatic alcohol having at least one tertiary carbon atom.

17. A composition for softening and lubricating textile yarns comprising a mineral oil, mahogany soaps and a sulfonated ester of a higher fatty acid with an alcohol having at least one tertiary carbon atom. g

18. A composition for softening and lubricating cellulose hydrate yarns which comprises a min eral oil, mahogany soaps and a sulfonated isobutyl ester of a higher fatty acid.

19. A composition for softening and lubricatingcellulose hydrate yarns which comprises a min- 

